Troy Versus Homers Illiad Example For Students

Troy Versus Homers Illiad When comparing the movie Troy, directed by Wolfgang Petterson, and The Iliad, written by Greek poet Homer we can clearly see that although Petterson has made an excellent film he has clearly left out certain aspects of the Iliad which really define the story. Both versions portray the Trojan War between Greece and Troy, Achilles killing Hector and King Priam visiting Achilles to ask for the body of his son Hector back. However both versions do not portray accurate versions of the fight between Menelaus and Paris, nor do they correctly explain why Helen has come to reside in Troy nor does the movie portray the proper burial rights of the Greeks. This is due to the absence of the Gods and Goddesses in the movie. We will write a custom essay on Troy Versus Homers Illiad specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Now in order to compare the two we must first explore what the movie and story are both about and the story each one follows. The Iliad starts 9 years after the beginning of the Trojan War with the Achaean (Greek) army raiding the town of Chryse and taking two women, Chrysies and Briseis. Agamemnon claims Chrysies and Achilles claims Briseis. Neither however counted the fact that Chrysies’ father, Chryses was a Priest of Apollo. After Chryses offers a huge reward for the return of his daughter and Agamemnon refuses he then prays to Apollo who in return sends a Plague upon the Achaean camp. Agamemnon consults the prophet and learns he must return his prize but in return he demands Briseis. Once hearing this, Achilles refuses to fight any longer in the war and holes himself up inside his tent. Achilles filled with his own rage and stupidity, asks his mother Thetis is ask Zeus to join the side of the Trojans, the Army the Achaeans are fighting against. Zeus complies and starts to bring his rage down upon the Achaean camp. Finally Achilles feels bad about the actions that he has taken but still refuses to fight. He proposes a plan with Nestor that his friend Patroclus will go into battle wearing his armour in order to raise the spirits of the Achaean army. This plan backfires and Patroclus ends up dead due to Apollo knocking him to the ground and Hector slaying him. Achilles now filled with rage about the death of his dear friend Patroclus, decides it is his time to fight and rides out to battle. He slays every Trojan insight and even fights the river god Xanthus until he comes upon Hector. Achilles chases Hector around until Athena tricks Hector into turning around to fight Achilles, knowing that it will mean Hectors death. Once Achilles lands the final blow he straps Hectors body to the back of his chariot and drags the body around Patroclus’ funeral bier for 9 days. His body however does not become tarnished as the Gods have put a protective spell on it. The gods all finally agree that Hector deserves a proper burial and they send Hermes to escort King Priam, Hectors father, to Achilles tent in order to ask for his son’s body back. Achilles gives up the body and Hector receives his hero’s burial. The movie Troy follows a slightly different story. The movie opens with Agamemnon advancing his army towards Thessaly. King Triopas (King of Thessaly) bargains with Agamemnon, arguing that they should each present their best fighters and the fight can decide who wins rather than having a war. Achilles easily wins the fight and Agamemnon gains control over Thessaly. Meanwhile we see the Princes of Troy, Hector and Paris, in the Banquet hall belonging to King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris sneaks off to meet Helen, Menelaus’ wife and convinces her to return to Troy with him. Once Menelaus finds out he vows to get revenge on Troy and asks for the help of his brother Agamemnon. Achilles and his young cousin Patroclus are enlisted to help get revenge on Troy. Achilles goes to seek advice from his mother who warns him that if he goes to battle against Troy he will find eternal glory but he will be doomed to die, but if he stays and does not fight he will find love, raise a family and die as an old man, happy with life. Achilles with his love to fight joins the war against Troy, not believing in what his mother has foretold of his fate. Once they land on the shores of Troy, the immediately sack a nearby town which includes a temple of Apollo and Achilles takes one of the Priestesses, Briseis, as his prize, unbeknown to him that she is the cousin of Hector and Paris. Agamemnon begins to claim that Briseis was his spoil of war which angers Achilles to the point in which he vows that one day Agamemnon will fall under his sword. We then see a clip of Helen attempting to leave Troy as she believes if she returns to Menelaus it will prevent more lives from being lost. Hector sees her and persuades her to stay, telling her she is a princess of Troy now. The next day, Agamemnon as his army march to Troy and demand the return of Helen or a war would break out. Hector offers up his brother Paris to fight Menelaus in order to decide who would get to keep Helen. Just before Menelaus can deliver the death blow, Paris crawls to his brother’s feet and hides behind him in cowardice. Hector then delivers the death blow to Menelaus which sparks of the beginning of the fighting. As the fighting progresses on the battle field we see clips of Achilles and Briseis and we see that they have begun to fall in love. Achilles makes plans to return home with Briseis and his beloved cousin Patroclus. As dawn approaches on the battle field we see Achilles riding into battle which shocks everyone but raises their spirits, unbek nown to everyone it is actually Patroclus wearing Achilles armour. Hector slits Achilles throat then removes his helmet to find that it is not Achilles like everyone believed it to be but Patroclus. Hector who is now regretting what he has done, drives his sword through Patroclus’ chest to finish him off. Achilles filled with rage at the loss of his cousin rides into battle against the Trojans and slays Hector right outside the walls of Troy. That night Achilles is visited by King Priam asking for the return of his son’s body, as Achilles had taken it after slaying him. Priam explains to Achilles that Hector didn’t know that it was Patroclus underneath the armour and asks Achilles how many brothers and cousins he has killed in his time. He weeps over Hectors body before giving it back to Priam and he allows Briseis to return to Troy with him. After not being attacked for 12 days the Trojans travel to the Greek camp to find a giant wooden horse, something they believe to be a gift of surrender. This is where the myth of the Trojan horse is intertwined with the story. The Trojans take the horse into the city walls, unbeknown that it contains a whored of Greek soldiers. Once night fall has appeared the Greeks begin to attack, breaking free from the horse. Achilles runs to be with Briseis but as he is with her Paris shoots him in the back of his heel, killing him. The Greeks win the battle and in the closing scene of the film we see Achilles body on a funeral pyre within the ruins of Troy. .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .postImageUrl , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:hover , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:visited , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:active { border:0!important; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:active , .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9 .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u30419fa3e06383736fc9cc0c965013e9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC): Its Role and History EssayAs we can see from reading over both telling of the story, they appear greatly different. The Iliad only covers a small amount of the battle of Troy compared the movie which attempts to portray the whole war in a matter of days instead of the 11 + years the war raged on. The Iliad also has a proper representation of burial in comparison to the movie; Homer dedicated a whole book of the Iliad to the ideals of Greek Burial. In the movie we see incorrect burials of both Patroclus and Achilles. In the movie we see them being burnt straight away on the funeral pyre instead of the detailed burial rights they received in the Iliad such as the coins over their eyes to pay the ferryman Chiron and the proper funeral procession before dawn. This feature upset me as Peterson objective in this movie was to portray the Greeks in an accurate was using the Iliad as his starting point yet he has failed to do so. Another aspect of the movie I feel does not reflect the Iliad was the lack of inclusion involving the Gods. In the Iliad the Greek Gods played a large part of the story and in comparison with the movie they don’t really play a role at all, they are non-existent. Homer really emphasized the Gods, including them in all aspects of his books. Homer has also emphasized that they were the cause of the Trojan War, bringing us back to a story which occurred just before the Iliad at the beginning of the Trojan War in which Paris was chosen to be the judge of a beauty contest involving Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite. He chose Aphrodite and as a reward he gained her favour and was allowed any woman in the word he so desired. Paris being young and now thinking of the consequences he chose Helen of Sparta (who then became known as Helen of Troy). This enraged Menelaus, Helens husband and he declared was on Troy. We can compare this to the movie Troy which shows us that the cause of the war also Helen going to Troy but not because she was compelled by Aphrodite but because she had fallen in love with Paris, she went to Troy on her own free will knowing the consequences that would occur. In the Iliad Aphrodite saves Paris’ life during the fight between him and Menelaus. Just before he goes to deliver the death blow, Aphrodite blows in a storm and whisks Paris back to his chambers to be with Helen. Menelaus becomes enraged and then he declares war. We can compare this to the movie in which just before Menelaus delivers the death, Paris crawls to his brother’s feet in cowardice and then Hector slays Menelaus. Both these scenes though meant to be the same are rather different as one results in the death of Menelaus and the other does not. Other gods are also portrayed in the Iliad such as Hermes, who guides King Priam to Achilles tent safely so that he can ask for the return of his son Hectors body while in the movie; King Priam makes the journey by himself. Apollo is another God who is largely featured in the Iliad but not in the movie. Apollo is one of the central figures in the Iliad as he is the one who sends the plague upon the Achaean camp and he allows Hector to kill Patroclus which leads Achilles to become involved in the war again. Apollo was the one who really kick started off the fighting between the two rival armies even though he is not the God of war. Hephaestus, a god often forgotten was once again forgotten in the movie. He did play a part in the Iliad however. He forged Achilles new armour for him as a favour to Thetis before Achilles went to battle. These forgotten aspects in the movie really enraged me as Petersons ideals in the movie Troy were to try and accurately show Greek lifestyle and war yet he failed by leaving out a huge aspect which was involved in this, the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. I personally feel that the movie should have included the Gods as many others like myself most likely feel the same. The gods were an essential part of Greek lifestyle. The bases of their entire civilization were based upon the will of the Gods and Peterson has seemed to just forget this. One more difference between the Iliad and Troy which managed to frustrate me immensely was the incorrect representation of Briseis in the movie and the complete lack of Chrysies. In the Iliad the kidnapping of Chrysies is what started the plague in the Achaean camp, another aspect that seemed to be forgotten, which then led to Achilles anger as Chrysies was returned and Briseis became wanted by Agamemnon and his eventual refusal to fight. In the movie Chrysies has just seemed to vanish from existence and Briseis is now a cousin of Hector and Paris. Not to mention that in the film Achilles wasn’t planning to fight as he wished to be with Briseis as he had fallen in love with her. The film portrays Homers character of Briseis completely wrong and has forgotten a main catalyst character. As someone who had knowledge of the Iliad before seeing the film it utterly enraged me. As one can obviously see Wolfgang Peterson has made an incorrect representation of Greek lifestyle and war and I personally hope that if he makes another movie which originally was a book I will never have to see it. I also hope that he comes to his senses and makes another proper representation of what he wanted to achieve.

Medical uses of algae essays

Medical uses of algae essays Algae have been used for centuries, especially in Asian countries, as a remedy to cure or prevent various physical ailments. Scientific research has established a connection between these nutrient-rich sea plants and the bodys immune system response. It all started when intensive studies of marine life began in the 1970s to locate potential sources of pharmacologically active agents (Baba et al. 1988). Researchers found that algae contain a remarkable amount of components valuable for human health. According to Baba (1988), algae are beneficial in the following ways: 1. It is a complete protein with essential amino acids (unlike most plant foods) that are involved in major metabolic processes such as energy and enzyme production. 2. It contains high amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with a source of additional fuel. In particular, the sulfated complex carbohydrates are thought to enhance the immune systems regulatory response. 3. It contains an extensive fatty acid profile, including Omega 3 and Omega 6. These essential fatty acids also play a key role in the production of energy. 4. It has an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements in naturally-occurring synergistic design. With all these benefits, it is no wonder why extensive research is being conducted on algae as a medical treatment. Three specific treatments that have been tested will be discussed. One medical use of marine algae is for the treatment of Herpes Simplex Viruses. The drug Acyclovir (ACV) is commonly used for treatment of herpes, but it, like many medications, results in undesirable symptoms (Field & Biron 1994). ACV has induced the emergence of drug-resistant viruses and can lower immune activity, causing even more illnesses (Field & Biron 1994). These findings made it necessary to find new sources of anti-herpetic treatments, one being marine algae. Marine algae, which are a source of potential c...

Financial Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial - Term Paper Example 900,000 ?1,600,000 ?1,850,000 ?1,100,000 ?2,225,000 Discount Factor @ 12% Cost of Capital 1.00 0.893 0.797 0.712 0.636 0.567 Present Value (?5,150,000) ?803,700 ?1,275,200 ?1,317,200 ?699,600 ?1,261,575 NPV ?207,275 NPV:-?5,150,000 + ?803,700 + ?1,275,200 + ?1,317,200 + ?699,600 + ?1,261,575 = ?207,275 The Net Present Value of a company is the value of a future number in terms of today. It basically helps in finding out a project’s is profitability. It requires finding out the present value of each future cash flow discounted at a specific value, which is the cost of capital of the project given in the form of a percentage. It uses the concept of discounted cash flows. Time Cash Flow (?5,150,000) ?900,000 ?1,600,000 ?1,850,000 ?1,100,000 ?2,225,000 Yr 0 Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Cash Flow (?5,150,000) ?900,000 ?1,600,000 ?1,850,000 ?1,100,000 ?2,225,000 Discount Factor @ 14% Cost of Capital 1.00 0.877 0.769 0.675 0.592 0.519 Present Value (?5,150,000) ?789,300 ?1,230,400 ?1,248 ,750 ?651,200 ?1,154,775 NPV (?75,575) NPV = -?5,150,000 + ?789,300 + ?1,230,400 + ?1,248,750 + ?651,200 + ?1,154,775 NPV = (?75,575) Payback Payback = 4,250,000 – 900,000 (Yr 1) – 1,600,000 (Yr 2) = 1750000 ? 1,850,000 (Yr 3) * 12 Payback = 2 Years and 11 months This is a technique used to measure the feasibility of projects in terms of the number of years that it takes to pay back an initial investment. It is measured in number of years till full recovery and the following formula can be used to measure it. Payback = No. of years prior to full recovery + Unrecovered cost at beginning of year/Cash flow during full recovery year. Payback basically represents the period of time during which the initial investment gets recovered. IRR: To calculate IRR, a negative NPV would be calculated. Hence a discount factor of 14% is selected. IRR = LDR + [PV1/PV1-PV2]* (HDR-LDR) LDR = Lower Discount Rate HDR = Higher Discount Rate Pv1 = Present Value at Lower Rate of Return Pv2= Pre sent Value at Higher Rate of Return IRR = 12% + [207,275/ 207,275 – (-75,575) * (14% - 12%)] IRR = 13.46% IRR is the value where the NPV is equal to zero. It is the optimal value where a project is most beneficial. IRR can gauge the profitability of a proposed investment by taking into consideration the concept of discounted cash flows. IRR is not very easy to be calculated as any other accounting measure such as NPV and if done then it does not give accurate answers. It is done on a trial and error. b) Provide a rationale for your treatment of initial research, depreciation and working capital, supporting your answer with links to theory briefly indicate other considerations which might also affect the decision Initial research would not be included within the Net Present Value (NPV) calculation. This is because the initial research cost had already been incurred before starting the project hence the cost was deemed to be a sunk cost. Sunk costs are not to be included within the NPV calculation because these costs have already been incurred and that do not affect the decision of either commencing or aborting any business plan. Depreciation costs do not get included within the calculation of NPV. This is because depreciation is a non-cash item and the NPV purely constitutes cash related items with respect to the time value of money. Although depreciation expense is only included within the NPV calculation in order to ascertain the Tax savings. The tax savings on allowances allowed by the tax authorities are only included

The Truman Show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Truman Show - Essay Example The unsuspecting protagonist, who has no idea that everything around him and everyone around him are just behaving the way they are supposed or told to, gives the story a fresh appeal. As the story progresses, each stage if it makes the audience think what would they do if they were in Truman’s place. It makes people wonder what his reaction would be in the end when he finds out about the truth. Even his mother, wife and best friend are part of it so that makes his situation really pathetic. The people whom a person trusts most in the world are all in the plot of filming his life. The world he thinks is real is only make-believe. But then soon he starts picking up clues. He starts discovering the repetitive events have more than habitual meaning to them. Bit by bit he starts to think that he is being set up and he tests things one by one to try and unravel the truth. Although Truman trusts his logic to escape from a scripted world, Can Truman force reality since he was living in Seahaven Island for his entire life? Truman has been living twenty nine years of his life in Seahaven and has not yet come across anything that would force him to think out of the ordinary. He works as an insurance salesman, has a lovely wife who is happy always and has a best friend who was with him since he was seven years old. The town is also a dream come true, very neat with everyone smiling at each other and greeting them with sheer respect. The only incident that is seen to be haunting Truman is the death of his father, which took place when they went for sailing when he was a kid. He feels guilty for this incident as it was his curiosity and stubbornness that took him on the trip during the storm. This incident still lingers in him and he has developed hydrophobia. Even though his whole life is â€Å"broadcast 24 hours a day† he has no idea about it. (Weschler 1) That is until one day, a light projector falls from the supposed beautiful, normal sky. Soon more event s start adding up to it, like the time when he drives and he can hear on the radio every turn that he takes, when he goes to his office he finds that inside the lift there is a TV set etc. He even starts to understand that there is more to the things that happen around him than just everyday routine. When he sits in the car and watches from the mirror the order in which the man with the cycle, the man with the flowers etc keep passing here and there and when he takes his wife on a spontaneous ride the traffic just magically appears. The most surprising fact is that everyone knows Truman’s name, are very courteous and ready to help him with anything. He starts to figure out gradually that his life has been set up. He resolves to get away from Seahaven but everything comes in his way. It is like he has no way to escape from that place. He tries talking to his wife and friend but they too behave as though nothing his wrong. But Truman feels it in his guts that everyone is hiding something from him. Chritsof is the creator of this TV show. The man who has invested and spent millions to make a show like this, with the so-called intention of creating a safe world for his corporation adopted son Truman. He can be perceived as God as he is the one who controls everyone and everything in Truman’s life. He is the one who decides and chooses for Truman. All that Truman has to do is get up everyday and go to sleep every night, the rest is controlled by â€Å"the creator.† On one hand, Christof can be seen as a devil who controls

How dependent are Americans on foreign oil Essay Example for Free

How dependent are Americans on foreign oil Essay 1.0 Introduction â€Å"We have a serious problem. America is addicted to oil.† George Bush made this assertion in his 2006 State of the Union address. By 2025 the United States will increase its daily consumption of oil to 28.3 million barrels per day. These estimates by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that by then, the US will depend on foreign countries for 70% of its oil needs. The United States of America (USA) depends on foreign nations for 66% of the oil it consumes. According to the EIA, currently the US consumes almost 21 million barrels of oil a day. Unfortunately, this amount of oil is not produced locally so the US has to depend on foreign nations for its consumption of oil. The dependence on oil by the US has a number of effects which include: impact on the nation’s economy; determines US foreign policy; shapes national security; and influences the relationship between the US and other nations (Ebe 2). The aforementioned effect which dependence on foreign oil has caused creates problems for the US. One of the major problems is the fact that the US is dependent on other nations for its energy supplies. Since the US is dependent on these nations for oil, the events in these oil producing nations determine to a large extent, what happens in the US. There is need for the US to resolve this energy situation, because dependence on other nations for oil rids the US of its sovereignty as an independent nation. 1.1 Statement of problem Oil is a very useful resource as it used by many industries. Many industrialized nations of the world, like the US, need large amounts of oil to keep their economies going. Over time, the US has become dependent on foreign nations for its oil needs- while local oil production has plummeted, demand is on the rise. Since the US is so dependent on foreign oil, what are the implications of this dependence? 1.2 Dependence on foreign oil: an effects analysis The dependence on foreign oil by the US has a lot of implications. The effect of this situation makes an impact on the economy, foreign policy, national security and international relations. These four perspectives are explored in further detail below. Effects on the US economy. Dependence on foreign oil supplies has had a profound effect on the US economy. One major evidence of this fact is the constant fluctuation of prices of gas due to changes in prices of oil. In other words, once the price of oil changes, then the price of gas in the US shifts accordingly. This has a profound effect on companies and other businesses that use gas. In the past year, oil prices have soared due to a number of factors in the world. Once these prices climb, it means that the consumer in the US has to pay more for goods and services that are related in one way or other to oil. Changes in the prices of oil in the world create shocks which are felt when prices of goods and services increase. However, the US economy would not have had to deal with these shocks if there wasn’t a high dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, the constant increase in the price of crude oil in global markets leads to the transfer of huge amounts of money to other cou ntries in foreign trade. US foreign policy. Concerns about US dependence on oil have had an influence on its foreign policy. Various governments are aware of US dependence on foreign oil and have taken moves to protect the integrity of the US. Most people around the world believe that the US meddles in the affairs of other countries especially those in the Middle East because of the oil reserves in these places. If there is instability in the Middle East, it will drastically affect the supply of oil to the US. Thus, in order to protect it’s and ensure the constant flow of foreign oil (upon which the US is dependent), the US government takes measures to ensure peace and rule of law in these places. Haley (9-10) echoes the voice of critics who contend that the U is keen on maintaining stability in the Middle East because of the implication which crisis will cause the US since it relies so heavily on foreign oil. This is evident in the Gulf war and the recent invasion of Iraq. These actions by the US hav e created hatred in the hearts of people in the Middle East towards the US. Impact on national security. The dependence on foreign oil by the US has an impact on its national security as well. It can be argued that the dependence on foreign oil by the US has led it get involved in the affairs of other nations of the world. For example, the Middle East is a region which the US does not ignore and it is in this region that the largest reserves of crude oil abound. The US cannot afford to ignore this region because it needs the oil that is produced from these areas. Sadly, many of these countries are places where there is a lot of unrest and oppressive governments and the US gets a share of violent attacks because it relates with these nations. This situation has brewed hatred in the hearts of many and motivated attacks against the US both home and abroad. With the terror attacks on September 11 2001, the US is aware of the threat to national security and the lives of its citizens at home and abroad. Terrorist groups are aware that oil is the centre of the US e conomy and when they target this sector, they will inadvertently cripple the US economy and bring it to her knees. Relations with other nations. The relationship between the US and other nations is also affected to some extent by the dependence on foreign oil by the US. Apart from the US, other countries in the world have vested interests in oil because they too depend to a large extent on oil. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and other â€Å"iron curtain† countries, China has risen as an industrial giant. These industries are largely fuelled by oil and in order to achieve its aim and remain in the lead, China has improved relations with many oil producing countries and opposes restrictions imposed on these places by the US at the United Nations general assembly. These relationships between the US and other nations are founded upon dependence on oil. The dependence on foreign oil by the US has led to complex relationships between the US and other nations. At close observation, the root cause of these relationships is often not noticeable, but exploring deeper brings out the dependence on oil by the US. On the other hand it is important to look at this issue in another perspective. Most of the countries which produce oil are undemocratic. Infact, some of them have oppressive rulers and since the US depends on foreign oil, these governments become prominent. The fact that they are producers of oil propels them to lime light because the US needs this foreign oil so badly. 1.3 Relevant statistics Certain statistics are important in order to understand the dependence on foreign oil by the US. There was a time in the past when the US was the world’s largest producer of crude oil. But all that has changed now. According to the EIA, Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest exporter of crude oil and will remain so for a while because it holds 24% of the worlds oil reserves. Conversely, the Middle East holds 66% of the world’s oil reserve and supplies 30% of oil in the world. The dependence on foreign oil by the US has been worrisome to past administrations. According to Randall, President Richard Nixon established â€Å"Project Independence† to stop America’s dependence on foreign nations for oil. Furthermore, President Gerald Ford approved the regulation of petroleum prices, established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and signed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. On his part, President Jimmy Carter signed the national Energy Act to encourage the development of local sources of energy. 1.4 Probable solutions There is growing need to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil due to the many problems which the phenomenon poses. It is imperative to develop alternate sources of energy in the US so that dependence on oil can gradually be lifted. Dependence on foreign oil may not be lifted totally but a gradual lifting of this dependence is important. Apart from oil, there are alternate sources of energy which should be explored in the US with the backing of the government and private sector so that these initiatives can be widely adopted. In the first place transportation is a major consumer of gasoline, so cars should be made to run on other sources of power such as electricity which is cleaner and will lower carbon emissions in to the atmosphere. Apart from electricity, wind energy too can be harnessed to power industries. Furthermore, dams built on rivers can generate vast amounts of electricity. Biological fuels too are important and these too need to be developed and used to lessen America’s dependence on oil. The current economic crisis in the world is an indicator to many people to cut costs. However, with the rising cost of crude oil, cost cutting will mean learning to do without crude oil and using other alternate sources of energy. Most of the alternate source of energy mentioned here are not harmful to the environment and the other benefit about them is that they are renewable as well. It does not matter how vast a country’s oil reserves are. There will come a time when these reserves will deplete. If the US continues to depend on foreign oil, what will be done when these countries no longer have oil to sell? The situation is best imagined. 1.5 Conclusion Obviously, the US needs to look else where to satisfy her energy needs. The switch from oil to alternative sources of energy may take a while but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. This switch has become all the more important considering the amount of hatred which is shown to everything American, especially by terrorists from the Middle East. Much of the world knows that the US economy is affected by oil supplies- cripple this and you bring the world greatest nation to its knees.

Tuberculosis: Prevalent and Deadly Essay -- Diseases/Disorders

Tuberculosis (TB) is a very prevalent, very contagious, and very deadly disease worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one third of the population is infected with TB. (Centers for Disease Control Data and statistics) While less common than it has ever been, tuberculosis has seen an upsurge in the last three decades directly related to the AIDS epidemic, but also as a result of the development of many multi-drug-resistant strains. This is of particular concern in developing nations hit hard by AIDS infections, but it is also evidenced in an upswing in the United States. (Nester, Anderson and Roberts) Because of the increase of cases both here and worldwide there has been a concerted effort to limit the number of new infections and to control the spread of it by managing the most at risk populations. Nationally this would include prison populations, people with AIDS, and immigrants from countries where there is a high prevalence of TB. Other risk factors include other immunocompromised groups, including those in hospitals, and poverty. The efforts to combat this disease, via education, vaccine administration, and proper sanitation controls have decreased the spread dramatically. Nationally the decrease began in 1993 (Nester, Anderson and Roberts) and internationally the decrease began in 2010. (United Nations ). Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. The bacterium spreads in the air when a person with the infection coughs or sneezes. There are many cases of people with latent TB infection but who may eventually develop the disease and therefore become vectors for contagion. Weakened immune systems greatly increase the chances for developing the disease, which explains why ... ... even the latent infection with medication, and isolating those who are contagious have done more to control the spread of this oft fatal disease than have one particular vaccination. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control. Tuberculosis. March 2012. 11 March 2012 . National Network for Immunization Information. Tuberculosis. March 2005. March 2012 . Nester, Eugene, et al. Microbiology: A Human Perspective. 7th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. "Tuberculosis." Human Diseases and Conditions. 1 March 2012 . United Nations . "United Nations News Service." 11 October 2011. United Nations News Centre. 12 March 2012 .

A Comparative Essay Between 1984 and Brave New World Essay

It is interesting to note, before anything, the similarities between Brave New World and 1984. Firstly and rather obviously, they are both prophetic novels, they were both written in turbulent times, both suffering changes that could revert the future of the world. When 1984 was written, the world had just gotten out of a second war and the surprising rise of communism and their totalitarian government was frightening most of the western world. In George Orwell’s novel, the main concern seems to be the overtaking of a supreme, socialist totalitarian government/dictatorship. On the other hand, when Brave New World was written, the world had just been swept by a wave of mass production and consumerism, and that too is reflected in Aldous Huxley’s ultra-modern, test-tube baby, sleep-taught society. That is exactly what makes the two novels so alike and so different at the same time. To begin with both authors forecast a society of obedience and compliance, but on one hand, the Brave New World is also driven by consumerism and high advanced technology and drug abuse (soma, to ensure the happiness of the masses), † ‘Now- such is progress- the old men work, the old men copulate, the old men have no time, no leisure from pleasure, not a moment to sit down and think- or even by some unlucky chance such a crevice of time should yawn in the solid substance of their distractions, there is always some, delicious soma half a gramme for half a holiday [†¦] returning when they find themselves on the other side of the crevice, safe on the solid ground of daily labour and distraction†¦'†. Whilst 1984 is a bare, war stricken place with food rations and the like, â€Å"Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. Down the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn papers into spirals, and though the sun was shinning and the sky was blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except in the posters that were plastered everywhere.† Both novels also similar in the aspect that most inhabitants do not seem to see a problem with the world they live in, most comply and obey, in Brave New World, most consume, but in both novels, there are the odd sheep. In Brave New World Bernard Marx, † ‘But he’s so ugly!’ [†¦] ‘And then so  small.’ Fanny rebels because he does not fit in made a grimace; smallness was so horribly and typically low-caste.† In 1984, Winston Smith rebels because he does not accept, â€Å"to the future or the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone- to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone. From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, form the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink-â€Å". says Winston. Both novel seem to portray societies divided into castes, in 1984 there are three of them the ‘proles’, the ‘outer Party’ and the ‘inner Party’, the ‘proles’ are the uneducated masses, the ‘outer party’ are the medium working class, and the ‘inner party’ are the controllers. In Brave New World, the castes are a bit more literal, four in total, Alphas, intelligent and beautiful, have the high positions, Betas, not quite as ‘perfect’ as the Alphas, Gammas, part of the uneducated masses and finally Epsilons, similar in IQ to oysters, the workers and cleaners. Both novels can be regarded as ‘novels that changed history’, that is, when they were written it seemed that things were headed in the direction that both novels pointed out, and some people considered that it was the novels that ‘opened people’s eyes’ and showed them the way. However, many other people seemed to think that both were equally extreme to have actually concretized themselves.